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home of the Big Bend Sentinel, Presidio International and all things for Far West Texas.Fri, 31 Jul 2015 17:38:58 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Ex-sheriff wants life sentence reduced to 30 yearshttp://bigbendnow.com/2015/07/ex-sheriff-wants-life-sentence-reduced-to-30-years/
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Rick Thompson, former Presidio County sheriff

By ROBERT HALPERN

MARFA â€“ Former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson is serving a life sentence in federal prison for smuggling more than a ton of cocaine into Texas from Mexico, and now he has asked the court to reduce his sentence to 30 years.

In a motion filed ...]]>

Rick Thompson, former Presidio County sheriff

By ROBERT HALPERN

MARFA â€“ Former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson is serving a life sentence in federal prison for smuggling more than a ton of cocaine into Texas from Mexico, and now he has asked the court to reduce his sentence to 30 years.

In a motion filed May 11 in Pecos federal court, defense attorney Michael King of Lubbock argues that his client is now eligible for a sentence reduction under amended guidelines since U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer put Thompson in prison for life on May 8, 1992 in a hot and crowded federal courtroom in Pecos.

Thompsonâ€™s fall began the same week he announced for a fifth term as sheriff when federal and state narcotics officers seized 2,400 pounds of cocaine in a horse trailer parked at the county ag barn in Marfa on December 4, 1991. Arrested at the time and charged with importation, possession, and distribution of narcotics was Robert Chambers, whose family ranched in south Presidio County and who was living in Alpine at the time.

Robert Chambers

At Chambers bond and detention hearing the following week, the DEA said a confidential informant helped smuggle the coke from near San Antonio del Bravo, a small Mexican village on the Rio Grande to the Chambers ranch. The informant was told by Chamber to then call the sheriff and say the â€śdeal was down.â€ť

Thompson quickly said the deal was a reverse sting operation by him to catch the distributors in the Dallas area.

Both Chambers, who had remained in custody, and Thompson in early January 1992 were called to testify before the Pecos federal grand jury, which issued felony indictments that same day. The sheriff was taken into custody.

State District Judge Alex Gonzalez removed Thompson from office and appointed Justice of the Peace Abelardo Gonzalez (no relation) as sheriff.

By late January, Chambers had pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Thompson. Chambers then-defense attorney is now 83rd District Attorney Rod Ponton.

The sheriff pleaded guilty in mid-February. Both Thompson and Chambers were sentenced to life by Buchmeyer, who said Thompsonâ€™s breach of the public trust and the quantity of the cocaine left him no choice but the maximum sentence.

Chambers was released from prison after serving 10 years.

Thompson has spent most of his 23 years behind bars at the Medium Federal Correction Institution in Forrest City, Arkansas, where heâ€™s been a model prisoner, according to the recent court filing.

The motion shows Thompson has completed at least 76 courses from automotive technology to business law, and has worked at various jobs at the prison over the years.

PRESIDIO COUNTY â€“ A $1.3 million federal law enforcement grant is waiting for use by the Presidio County Sheriffâ€™s Office, but political fallout from the countyâ€™s adverse fiscal audit has put the security program in jeopardy.

Since 2008, the sheriffâ€™s office has received funds through the Operation Stonegarden grant from the US Department of Homeland Security funneled through the state. The grantâ€™s mission is to fund law enforcement personnel to work in conjunction with the US Border Patrol and other agencies to enhance security in the county.

Presidio County, one of the poorest counties in the state and nation, boasts 108 miles of international border with Mexico and 80,000 square miles of rugged Chihuahuan Desert with 7,000-foot mountains, about the size of the state of Rhode Island. The sheriffâ€™s office is tasked with providing law enforcement and support for the border city of Presidio and the now-art city of Marfa in north county, plus the small communities of Ruidosa, Candelaria, Redford, Shafter, as well as Big Bend State Park, all by the sheriff and four deputies. Of the two deputies is stationed in Marfa, one is paid by the city of Marfa, which doesnâ€™t have a police department, to police the city limits. The other Marfa-stationed deputy works the northern portion of the county.

In south county, Chief Deputy Joel NuĂ±ez is assisted by one deputy. The two of them have to provide coverage 24/7 year-round. Do the math: two deputies canâ€™t do their jobs properly in a county this size, even with a the Presidio police department and Presidio ISD department of public safety to assist. And yes, thereâ€™s a big cadre of federal and state law enforcement personnel – Border Patrol, Customs, DEA, game wardens, DPS troopers â€“ but those agencies also have their specific missions and they do pitch in needed.

Enter Operation Stonegarden. The grant program is used to pay licensed peace officers in helping patrol and secure the border, and grant parameters allow the purchase of vehicles and emergency material, including patrol vehicles, all terrain vehicles, communication equipment, and personnel training.

NuĂ±ez is also the Presidio Independent School District Department of Public Safety chief. In 2014 he was paid $39,000 as chief deputy sheriff and $58,000 as the school police chief.

The school and county have in place an interlocal agreement that allows school peace officers to be used as auxiliary peace officers and paid by the grant.

The countyâ€™s recent adverse opinion audit â€“ the second in three years – by CPA Doak Painter, alleges fraudulent practices by the sheriffâ€™s office in carrying out the grant and has disallowed thousands of dollars of Stonegarden funds. Specifically, he calls into question the role of NuĂ±ez as both chief deputy sheriff and school police chief as a possible conflict of interest and how some of the schoolâ€™s paid officers are also grant recipients.

Painter also cites an ongoing communications schism between the sheriffâ€™s office and courthouse as a major factor in the matter.

The county is considering outside investigations into the grant situation.

The sheriffâ€™s office, in a two-hour interview with the Sentinel/International last week, said theyâ€™ve done nothing wrong and welcome an investigation. They also shared grant documents, timecards, and letters of support from some of the other law enforcement agencies being assisted by the grant.

In the meantime, Dominguez this week decided not to accept the approved Stonegarden grant for the next fiscal year.

â€śWe are severing ties between the county and PISD completely,â€ť NuĂ±ez added Tuesday. â€śWe have lost all of our reserve deputies in Presidio. I want to make sure all of this is cleared up,â€ť and in the meantime, Operation Stonegarden wonâ€™t be used.

â€śAs of today, we lost all reserves,â€ť NuĂ±ez said. â€śI told them they are no longer obligated to work for free. PISD will no longer work for Stonegarden, because of the conflicts perceived, conflicts and allegations seen by the public as negative. Now itâ€™s up to commissionersâ€™ court to make up with local tax dollars what has been in the past with grant funds.â€ť

All the grant-acquired vehicles this week were parked in Marfa and police presence must be diminished, rather than use grant funds or absorbed by Presidio ISD.

In his audit, Painter states some of the invoices to pay peace officers in Presidio County from the Stonegarden Grant are â€śfraudulentlyâ€ť being charged as contract labor.

Painter this week said that he makes this charge solely from the standpoint of compliance to the Stonegarden Grant requirements. His findings are that there are no contracts, as stipulated by the grant requirements, with five deputies and therefore he calls them fraudulent.

But NuĂ±ez and Presidio ISD Business Manager Raquel Baeza say the peace officers in question are being paid as subcontractors, like a substitute teacher. There are no contracts with substitute teachers, but when a teacher calls in sick, a sub is called and paid for their time in the classroom. The same applies to the officers; when one is needed to cover an event or a shift, they are called in, time records are kept and they are paid through the grant.

What appears to be happening is poor grant management by the county rather than fraud as alleged. A major problem is that even though the county had appointed grant administrators – at one time the Rio Grande Council of Governments, former grant administrator Edsel Vana, and the county treasurerâ€™s office – no one has been taken the lead in this grantâ€™s administration. Current grant administrator is Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Katie Sanchez, who was hired in November.

Painter also cites a conflict of interest with NuĂ±ez because he has full-time employment with the sheriffâ€™s office and as an â€śadministrator of the grant.â€ť

NuĂ±ez said he was never the grant administrator but has done most of the paper work required because no one else was doing it.

In reference to the conflict of interest issue, he said, â€śThere are checks and balances, we have the commissionersâ€™ court, we have a county judge, a county attorney, a county treasurer, and the grant administrator. They should have brought this issue up a long time ago if this was somewhere in policy.â€ť

â€śI am a law enforcement officer, â€ś he said. â€śI am not a certified accountant. I am not a business administrator. I am not anything directly connected to any payment, or check book, account or anything with the Presidio County.Â So all I do is present documents, time sheets, operation orders and any other documents related to law enforcement. So I do not have access to the money and I canâ€™t sign checks. If someone had found this to be wrongdoing, it should have been brought to our attention and it would have stopped a long time ago, but we had no idea this was an issue. All we saw is positive, we had more deputies working the border because of this, more vehicles and equipment paid by fed funds as opposed to local funds. All we saw was good. Itâ€™s a non-matching grant.â€ť

Hereâ€™s how the grant works, according to NuĂ±ez: all the vehicles and equipment purchased, work time, and overtime are submitted through the treasurerâ€™s office and then to the state, which approves or disapproves the grant fund use, and the county is reimbursed.

â€śPresidio ISD has always been with this policy of helping entity to entity,â€ť NuĂ±ez said. â€śIf there was ever a time that there was something wrong and it would have been brought to our attention, brought to my superintendent, to my school board, then it would have been corrected. This was never brought to any oneâ€™s attention.

â€śHowever now we are being attacked in social media,â€ť he said. â€śI am here in the interest of being transparent, providing supporting documents that will answer these questions, documents that were not requested by the auditor other than time sheets. He didnâ€™t request copies of licenses; he didnâ€™t request copies of any other documentation, which would have proved that these individuals are in fact being paid by Presidio ISD as auxiliary personnel. No one requested these documents.â€ť

NuĂ±ez was perhaps referring to a blog by Justice of the Peace David Beebe, in which Beebe states, â€śThe big minus about the numbers in this 2014 audit is that beginning balances and asset valuations are grossly inaccurate. Since the beginning of FY 2015 an asset valuation and tracking company named RCI has been tagging and tracking assets by location and department. I know of only one department that has vehemently resisted access to RCI and that would be the sheriffâ€™s office. Make no mistake that the edicts that steer the SOâ€™s direction come directly and unequivocally from the elected supervisor, the sheriff himself. Itâ€™s my understanding that things may have improved since then, but the county department that consistently resists transparency, intra-governmental or publicly is always the sheriffâ€™s office. Letâ€™s hope that over time this corrects itself; and if not, public pressure may assist.â€ť

Dominguez and NuĂ±ez presented the Sentinel/International with copies of the sheriffâ€™s office property, furniture and equipment log â€“ one 20 pages and another 14 pages – as of September 30, 2013. The log contains control numbers, item names and descriptions, serial model numbers, acquisition dates, unit costs, grant year, location of property, name of title holder, quantity total cost, asset code, useful life, accumulated depreciation, and net book value among other categories.

NuĂ±ez said this information has been supplied to the county treasurerâ€™s office several times, but it either gets lost or, who knows.

NuĂ±ez was also asked by the county to find some additional information for a grant document due the day he was contacted, he said, a day when there was an emergency in the county.

Another Beebeâ€™s blog post: â€śCompleting asset inventory and clarifying, as per the Texas Attorney Generalâ€™s opinion, should stop county officials from doing things such as â€śgiftingâ€ť vehicles to other government entities instead of auctioning them off (yes, that is happening!) and should give citizens looking for ways to help us improve efficiencies and service to the constituents by identifying waste and outdated practices. Liquidation of unnecessary assets would save money on maintenance and insurance and would generate needed monies into the general fund.â€ť

Dominguez and NuĂ±ez also provided a list of persons who have been recipients of the â€śgiftedâ€ť vehicles, including District Attorney Rod Ponton, Tax Assessor-Collector Norma Arroyo, Commissioner Lorenzo Hernandez, Commissioner Jim White, Commissioner Eloy Aranda, Constable Steve Coker, County Facility Manager Sam Cobos and a vehicle for his assistant Ari Luna, and vehicles to the Presidio ISD police and maintenance departments, the countyâ€™s road and bridge department, airports manager Chase Snodgrass, the parks department in north county, the airport , city of Presidio water works department, and the Presidio Volunteer Fire Department.

These vehicles are mostly confiscated vehicles, which NuĂ±ez said if auctioned would bring between $6,000-$7,000 per vehicle. If the county were to purchase vehicles for all those officials and employees, each vehicle would cost between $20,000 and $30,000. The sheriff and NuĂ±ez said they are helping the county save thousands of dollars in rolling stock and instead are being berated.

â€śItâ€™s amazing how miscommunication can lead to such an impact in our communities,â€ť NuĂ±ez said.

Additionally, he said several of the payroll invoices are still outstanding, in need of payment by the county and to be reimbursed by the grant. Painter is questioning two of the invoices. NuĂ±ez said the Presidio ISD has absorbed almost $38,000.

The grant paid money to nine certified peace officers, some employed by the school district and some auxiliary officers, including the sheriffâ€™s brother, Joe Dominguez, who has since found employment with another law enforcement agency in the state.

In reference to the Presidio ISD Department of Public Safety officers, he said, â€śWeâ€™ll back up the sheriffâ€™s office, but wonâ€™t be the primary officers on the scene.â€ť

For example, a week ago Wednesday, an accident was reported near Elephant Rock on Highway 67. First responders were Presidio ISD DPS officers Michelle Castillo and Martin Holguin. NuĂ±ez pointed to the fact that working together with other entities is a win-win situation for the citizens of Presidio County. That now is in jeopardy.

Castillo was asked what would she do now that ties are being severed between Presidio ISD DPS and the county and if she came upon an accident, what would she do?

â€śObviously I would stop and do what I needed to get done,â€ť was her quick response. â€śWhatever that is, it is my duty whether they pay me or not. I will do it and not charge the county.â€ť

NuĂ±ez added that Presidio ISD will continue to assist and support the sheriffâ€™s office but wonâ€™t be the primary officers on the scene.

He added that it was important for the public to feel protected by their law enforcement and the allegations are creating chaos and mistrust.

That is why the sheriffâ€™s office, other county officials, and the taxpaying public should all be interested in resolving this issue.

Keep in mind the audit period is past tense. As of 2015, thereâ€™s a new county judge, treasurer, and a newly created Office of Management and Budget officer. But weâ€™re nine months into the year and there are no solutions to make this grant function.

In addition to Painterâ€™s findings with the sheriffâ€™s office and grant, there are dozens of corrections the auditor identified that need to be made to county finances, including numerous bank accounts not on the balance sheet, what some might call accounting 101.

The Stonegarden grant appears to be a useful, viable law enforcement tool for one of the poorest and underserved counties in the state. Itâ€™s also a local grant. The sheriff, chief deputy/school public safety chief – whose district hugs the border with Mexico – are the local boots on the ground who know what they need in terms of equipment and vehicles and for paid extra law enforcement presence when the need arises. The money goes to no other federal or state law enforcement agency other than Presidio County, the sheriffâ€™s office, and its designated auxiliary officers, including Presidio ISD officers.

The sheriffâ€™s office and Presidio ISD appear to have done their job in documenting the expenses, acquisitions, and inventory, and now a new county administration must help implement policies and procedures â€“ once and for all â€“ for the continuation of this grant. If thereâ€™s a perceived conflict of interest with NuĂ±ez and his two jobs in relation to the grant, letâ€™s find a fix thatâ€™s acceptable to all.

Weâ€™re blessed to live in a vibrant county that boasts both a gateway to Mexico that welcomes our neighbors, friends and family and also a county that promotes the best in art, architecture, music, dance, and literature. There are other pressing issues in our nirvana, too, the proposed pipeline and nuclear dump. Weâ€™re also a county on the front line of two international concerns, immigration both legal and illegal, and narcotrafficking. A little law enforcement enhancement money, even for overtime at sports and other events, in addition to riding the River Road from Redford to Candelaria at times, isnâ€™t a bad thing.

Stonegarden is our federal tax dollars at work â€“ and in this rare instance â€“ that for once comes directly back to us.

PRESIDIO â€“ It was a communion of many different kinds of hats. Local officials, Customs and Border Patrol agents, businessmen and cattle ranchers gathered at the Presidio Lely International Airport on Tuesday morning to ...]]>

PRESIDIO â€“ It was a communion of many different kinds of hats. Local officials, Customs and Border Patrol agents, businessmen and cattle ranchers gathered at the Presidio Lely International Airport on Tuesday morning to discuss Presidioâ€™s future as a port for trade.

The gathering occurred at a pivotal moment in Presidioâ€™s history. With the imminent Presidio international bridge expansion project, a newly revamped airport and a railroad bridge, whose rehabilitation is slated to commence in 2017, the city of Presidio is poised to become a focal point for transit in coming years.

It was also an opportunity to discuss the need for a cattle bridge. A number of cattle ranchers were present among the attendees including Alfonso Ramos, whose family has raised cattle across the border for more than 200 years.

â€śIn the last five years, thereâ€™s been a lot of competition with the border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico because all they need to do is open a gate and the cattle will cross,â€ť Ramos said.

â€śWhat weâ€™re asking for them to do is to modify the bridge so that thereâ€™s a gate for cattleâ€”not only for the train,â€ť he said, referring to the plans to rehabilitate the railroad bridge.

The meeting, which was organized by the cityâ€™s special projects coordinator Carlos Nieto, and that included a tour of various transit facilities on both sides of the border, drew an impressive crowd.

Senator Jose Rodriguez was in attendance, along with Representative Alfonso â€śPonchoâ€ť Nevarez and Lieutenant General Joe Weber, who serves as the executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. Representatives from Congressman Will Hurdâ€™s office also made the trip to rural Presidio.

â€śThis airport four years ago had no fuel, no place to sit down, no weather reporting, no phone. The traffic was probably two airplanes per week,â€ť Snodgrass said. â€śTraffic levels are still low but weâ€™re up to about three to four planes per day now. Our traffic levels today are approximately double what it was last year, and our fuel pumps are state of the art.â€ť

He added, â€śFour years ago, we didnâ€™t fly patients out of here â€¦ the mortality rate flying those patients to trauma centers dropped from 33 percent to less than one percent. So we have documented evidence of the number of lives we saved.â€ť

Nieto credited the local representatives present with helping to bolster the airportâ€™s progress.

â€śCurrent representative Nevarez and current Senator Rodriguez have sustained and supported our vision for the expansion of the airport as a viable infrastructure badly needed not just for Presidio but for this region. Thank you for your support,â€ť Nieto said. â€śFor many of you, itâ€™s small but when you have nothing and can save lives as a result of this, it means a lot. Many lives have been saved because men of good conscience with good hearts did what they had to do when approached.â€ť

And women. Judge Guevara, who was one of the handful of women present, also spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly relocated Ponchoâ€™s Pizza, which with its proximity to the international port of entry, will serve as a visitor center for those making the passage to and from the country.

â€śI am very excited to know that you have come from far to show that you care about the progress of this community,â€ť Guevara said. â€śI am energized by what is taking place today, because it tells everyone that you can never doubt that a small committee group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. In fact, thatâ€™s really the only thing that ever has.â€ť

(staff photo by ROBERT HALPERN)A sign points to the Energy Transfer Partners compressor station at the Waha hub near Coyanosa. ETP plans to build a 42-inch natural gas pipeline 143 miles from there to near Presidio and Ojinaga.

(staff photo by ROBERT HALPERN)A sign points to the Energy Transfer Partners compressor station at the Waha hub near Coyanosa. ETP plans to build a 42-inch natural gas pipeline 143 miles from there to near Presidio and Ojinaga.

By SASHAÂ von OLDERSHAUSEN

PRESIDIO COUNTY â€“ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has agreed to compile an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the entirety of the Trans Pecos Pipeline in response to comments issued by opponents of the pipeline project, according to a news release by the Big Bend Conservation Alliance (BBCA).

â€śThis favorable response is an early success in BBCAâ€™s fight to stop the pipeline from cutting through the pristine Big Bend region,â€ť the news release stated. â€śNow FERC will consider the cumulative impact of the entire 143-mile project, including both the jurisdictional (the 1093-foot border crossing segment), and the non-jurisdictional (the remaining 143-mile segment, currently only under Texas Railroad Commission jurisdiction).â€ť

Previously, FERCâ€™s oversight of the project would only cover the 1093-foot segment of pipeline that will run beneath the Rio Grande and connect the pipeline that is planned to extend from West Texas into Mexicoâ€™s interior.

Since the pipeline project has been designated an â€śintrastate pipelineâ€ťâ€”that is, it exists within state boundsâ€”oversight of the project falls under the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commissionâ€™s authority.

Now, the entire length of the pipeline will also be subject to examination at the federal level.

The Environmental Assessment (EA), which is open to comment by the some 300 people who petitioned FERC as well as those entities that participated as movants of the docketâ€”including the BBCA, Presidio County and the National Sierra Clubâ€”assesses the potential environmental and cultural impacts of the construction and operation of the project.

FERCâ€™s response to do so came weeks after The Presidio County Commissionersâ€™ Court passed a monumental motion to intervene with FERC regarding the Trans Pecos Pipeline.

At the July meeting, County Judge Cinderela Guevara said, â€śThere have been too many explosions with these pipelines. All the money in the world is not worth one life.â€ť

Following the EA, representatives of the BBCA will advocate for FERC to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), â€śwhich would provide an in-depth evaluation of the cumulative impact on the entire project,â€ť the BBCA news release stated.

PRESIDIO COUNTY â€“ Issues regarding the Operation Stonegarden grant and audit came to a head at the Presidio County Commissionersâ€™ Court meeting Tuesday in Presidio.

Chief Deputy Joel NuĂ±ez addressed the court during public comments about the accusations made about him with the Stonegarden grant, money the Presidio County Sheriffâ€™s Office gets from the US Homeland Security department. The findings in 2014 audit, conducted by CPA Doak Painter, revealed a potential conflict of interest within the administrative chain of command with the grant, which then triggered an investigation of other invoices between the two entities, the sheriffâ€™s office and the Presidio ISD Department of Public Safety. The auditor used the word fraudulent in his findings. NuĂ±ez is also the school districtâ€™s director of security.

The courthouse annex courtroom was packed as personnel from the sheriffâ€™s office and school district security, as well as City of Presidio Emergency Services attended the meeting in support of NuĂ±ez. As County Judge Cinderela Guevara called each person who signed up to address the county during public comments, many said they wanted to give their allotted three minutes to NuĂ±ez. Guevara allowed NuĂ±ez to talk at length.

He said in his prepared statement that he has worked for the Presidio County Sheriffâ€™s Office for over 15 years and has worked for PISD-DPS for over 20 years, 13 of those years as chief of police.

â€śRealistically, it is not uncommon for people in small communities to hold two, sometimes more, jobs to better themselves,â€ť said NuĂ±ez.

He was born in Los Angeles, California but said his roots are in Presidio County.

NuĂ±ez claimed the 2014 audit was poorly written as it stated he was â€śfraudulentâ€ť in his actions using his two jobs to hire people to protect the community with grant funds, purchasing equipment and failure to communicate to commissionersâ€™ court.

â€śAll of this came as a shock to me after knowing that I have made every attempt to communicate with everyone and anyone who will listen,â€ť said NuĂ±ez.

He said Painter seemed satisfied in his research at the Presidio school security office, and that the majority of Painterâ€™s â€śfraudulentâ€ť claims stem from lack of documentation. NuĂ±ez said itâ€™s been a misunderstanding because the PISD officers in question didnâ€™t have contracts as part-time or full-time employees. NuĂ±ez and PISD Business Manager Raquel Baeza confirmed thatâ€™s because they are contract employees and are employed as needed.

One concern NuĂ±ez had was that even though Treasurer Frances Garcia won her election last year, the county still hired Garciaâ€™s opponent, Katie Sanchez, as Office of the Management and Budget Director. He claims this is probably the root of the accusations.

â€śThe voters have spoken. Then the county turns around and hires the losing candidate to administer county funds, which is the responsibility of the elected treasurer,â€ť said NuĂ±ez. â€śIs this not circumventing public choice? Has anyone questioned this? Was Frances given the opportunity to run these funds? What is the purpose of voting in this county?â€ť

Commissioners formed the OMB office in 2012, and Sanchez was the first hire to implement the office for the 2015 fiscal year. Sanchez didnâ€™t attend Tuesdayâ€™s meeting as she stayed in Marfa to work with Jail Administrator Gracie Parras and James Forrestal from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to obtain retail sales tax licenses for the jail and Marfa Golf Course Association.

Dominguez said he was upset with the county officials, because he feels they wouldnâ€™t be in this position if the county hadnâ€™t trusted the sheriffâ€™s department. He said his department ran the grants with ease and with no problems since he became sheriff in 2005.

â€śI want to clear myself up and I want to clear the county up,â€ť said Dominguez. â€śIâ€™ve invited the Attorney Generalâ€™s office, the FBI and Texas Rangers to do a full-scale investigation on all the county.â€ť

Other comments made in support of NuĂ±ez included Diana Hankins Burbach from Chinati Hot Springs, and Osvaldo Acosta, who has worked with Presidio EMS for 33 years.

â€śLiving in the county, we have to have these guys,â€ť said Hankins Burbach. â€śWe have to have more than one. We have to have more than two. We need actually four or five for this big of a county. We need to keep them on.â€ť

Acosta told the commissioners that he would like to see more proof of what the department is being accused of.

NuĂ±ez requested that a scheduled executive session involving personnel matters related to the audit be conducted in open session, which heâ€™s allowed to under Texas Government Code if heâ€™s is being discussed. After deliberation from the commissioners whether NuĂ±ez could or could not request an open session, Guevara said the meeting had to be closed because other employees were being discussed. NuĂ±ez did enter the executive session at one point, and no action was taken after the one-hour closed session.

Guevara told the commissioners during her communications that she met with Sanchez, Garcia and commissioners court auditor Patty Roach the day after the audit was approved on July 14 to formulate a plan to address every financial weakness or deficiency mentioned in the audit findings.

Commissioner Lorenzo Hernandez told her that the only problem he had with that meeting was that none of the county commissioners were involved. He argued that the four officials werenâ€™t the only ones affected by the audit.

â€śIâ€™m being criticized for this. Not just you. Not just Frances, but commissionersâ€™ court,â€ť said Hernandez. â€śWhen they talk about commissionersâ€™ court, theyâ€™re talking about me. If Iâ€™m not part of that plan, then what can I do, except accept the criticism.â€ť

Guevara said the outline Roach provided deals with the internal controls for the countyâ€™s financials, including the OMB and treasurerâ€™s offices.

Hernandez said he agrees with the plan, but hopes the commissioners can be involved.

PRESIDIO COUNTY â€“ Big Bend Regional Hospital District has temporary closed the Marfa Meds program, and Executive Director Maria Oâ€™Bryant said the program will likely suspend operations once a new pharmacy comes to Presidio County.

Marfa Meds is currently closed due to the resignations of Pharmacist David King and Pharmacy ...]]>

By SARAH M. VASQUEZ

PRESIDIO COUNTY â€“ Big Bend Regional Hospital District has temporary closed the Marfa Meds program, and Executive Director Maria Oâ€™Bryant said the program will likely suspend operations once a new pharmacy comes to Presidio County.

Marfa Meds is currently closed due to the resignations of Pharmacist David King and Pharmacy Technician Jerry Johnson, who were both hired in April. Oâ€™Bryant believes Johnson has other opportunities to pursue as his previous position was part time, and she said Kingâ€™s letter didnâ€™t state a reason for his resignation.

Oâ€™Bryant said the hospital district is waiting for directions from board of directors as how to proceed.

Marfa Meds is a Class H pharmacy that transports prescriptions to Porterâ€™s Thriftway in Marfa from Alpine pharmacies. According to the state code though, the program cannot operate if thereâ€™s a pharmacy in the county. Pharmacist Mario Juarez of City Drug in Alpine and Baggett Pharmacy in Fort Stockton plans to open a telepharmacy in Presidio tentatively in September 1, which would suspend Marfa Meds.

PRESIDIO â€“ The sudden removal of three Presidio ISD staff members from their current posts came as a surprise to many, and sparked outcry from some.

News that PISDâ€™s varsity softball coach Joel Pardo, athletic director Jose â€śPinoâ€ť Armendariz, and assistant principal Arturo Alferez would not return to their posts next year emerged just in time for last weekâ€™s school board meeting.

Members of the softball team piled into the boardroom wearing their team colors and holding posters of support for the deposed coach, who in recent years has brought the team the closest its been to qualifying for state championships. Last season, the team made it all the way to regional quarterfinals.

One by one, members of the team stood before the school board and spoke in defense of Coach Pardo. Several broke down in tears.

â€śHeâ€™s like a father to us and for him to just leave all of a sudden, it really hurt us emotionally,â€ť said rising junior Vanessa Rohana. â€śHe helped us to have the values of honesty, respect, and especially discipline.â€ť

She added, â€śCoach Pardo has given me a community and more inspiration to have the courage to be leaders.â€ť

Another member of the softball team rose to recite a letter that Pardo had written the team prior to one of their games. Several girls, who had trained under Pardo since they were in middle school, referred to him as a father.

Following their comments, Superintendent McEntire addressed the team. â€śCoach Pardo came to me yesterday and asked that he be given a chance to discuss this with Mr. Lujan. Mr. Lujan was more than willing to talk to Coach Pardo,â€ť McEntire said. â€śJust before this meeting, Coach Pardo called me and said that he had decided that he didnâ€™t want a try. He submitted his resignation.â€ť

Pardo confirmed that he had spoken to PHS Principal Santos Lujan, who had offered Pardo a position as teacher but would not renegotiate his removal as softball coach.

Pardo has been offered a teacher/coach contract from Alpine ISD.

McEntire added, â€śI want you to understand that nobody is questioning his ability as a coach, or your relationship with him. There are some things that canâ€™t be discussed.â€ť

McEntire reiterated the discretionary issues surrounding the decision in a later comment. â€śAny time an organization makes changes, there are many different reasons for doing it and not all of them are what seems to be apparent,â€ť he said. â€śWeâ€™re trying to do whatâ€™s best for the kids of Presidio and facing the challenges weâ€™re facing.â€ť

The â€śchallengesâ€ť he alluded to were with regard to the fact that Presidio ISD faces a loss of $1.8 million in state funding come 2017, when the state aid they have received through ASATR (Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction) will sunset.

McEntire remarked that this was also part of the reason behind the school boardâ€™s decision to eliminate the position of athletic director, which was previously filled by Jose â€śPinoâ€ť Armendariz.

Armendariz was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor in 2007 that rendered him paralyzed. He has been in recovery since, but maintained his position as athletic directorâ€”a position he has held for the past 17 years.

â€śAs you look at 3A schools across the state, you see very few that have just athletic directors; theyâ€™re all teachers,â€ť McEntire said. â€śPino wasnâ€™t fired. We just got rid of the athletic director position.â€ť

Armendariz will return to PISD next year as a teacher.

As for assistant principal Arturo Alferez, McEntire said the school is still engaging in discussions with him about his certifications.

â€śThe board is having some discussions around using principal interns,â€ť McEntire said.
â€śThere are a lot of things that weâ€™re going to have to look at in terms of having to save money.â€ť

MARFA – Demolition began this week for the Marfa Villa Apartments destroyed by fire.

Apartment manager Linda Heitman said it will take two to three weeks to tear down the building, but itâ€™s up in the air when the construction will begin. The goal is to have the building, that ...]]>

By SARAH M. VASQUEZ

MARFA – Demolition began this week for the Marfa Villa Apartments destroyed by fire.

Apartment manager Linda Heitman said it will take two to three weeks to tear down the building, but itâ€™s up in the air when the construction will begin. The goal is to have the building, that was destroyed by an accidental kitchen fire in late May, completed and occupied by the end of the year.

Right now, Professional Property Management, managers of Marfa Villa, is waiting for approval from USDA Rural Development to go forward with their plans. Heitman said Rural Development requested additional upgrades.

The current plan is to rebuild the building that housed 12 two-bedrooms apartments in the west wing of the complex. Members of the community have requested more buildings for the low-income housing as itâ€™s one of the only two in town, but Heitman doesnâ€™t know if Professional Property Management will pursue it. Thatâ€™s because if they change their plans beyond the replacement building, they have to redo the application process.

City Administrator Jim Mustard mentioned at the Marfa City Council meeting on July 14 that the original design for the apartments included five buildings, but only two were built. Those reasons are unknown, according to Heitman, as Professional Property Management took ownership of the apartments in December 2012. Marfa Villa Apartments were built in the mid-1980s.

PRESIDIO â€“ Mario Juarez, the owner of City Drug of Alpine, recalls spending his childhood summers with his grandparents in Presidio.

â€śBack then, there was no pharmacy and we had a veterinarian who was our medical doctor,â€ť Juarez said. â€śIf somebody needed stitches, he stitched us ...]]>

Mario Juarez

By SASHA von OLDERSHAUSEN

PRESIDIO â€“ Mario Juarez, the owner of City Drug of Alpine, recalls spending his childhood summers with his grandparents in Presidio.

â€śBack then, there was no pharmacy and we had a veterinarian who was our medical doctor,â€ť Juarez said. â€śIf somebody needed stitches, he stitched us right up.â€ť

The times certainly have changed since Juarez was a kidâ€”in part thanks to Juarez himself. This fall, City Drug will open a telepharmacy at the Presidio County Health Clinic in Presidio, and provide a much-needed resource to the cityâ€™s residents.

A telepharmacy provides pharmaceutical care by way of telecommunications to patients in locations without access to a live pharmacist. Juarez said the Presidio telepharmacy will have certified technicians on staff, who will be there to input prescription information into a server connected to the Alpine pharmacy. There, an actual pharmacist can access the data and fill the prescription, while the medication is dispensed in Presidio.

â€śItâ€™s a Skype-type situation,â€ť Juarez said. â€śA monitor will be used so that the pharmacist can see the technician actually label the bottle. And the pharmacist will be available for consultation with patients via phone.â€ť

He added, â€śIf the doctor calls it in to us, we will be able to fill that prescription in Alpine and dispense it in Presidio.â€ť

The pharmacy will be stocked with a variety of commonly used chronic medications, such as those used to treat diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and heart medications. No controlled substances will be onsite, and all medications are required to be prepackaged or else will come in stock bottles directly from the pharmaceutical companies. â€śWe will be making weekly or biweekly runs to Presidio to stock up,â€ť Juarez said.

Establishing the satellite pharmacy has been no easy feat. â€śWe didnâ€™t realize how complicated this was going to be,â€ť Juarez said. â€śWe have been working with the State Board of Pharmacy and the clinic for a little over a year now. The State Board unfortunately is really backed up and kind of slow in processing these requests and issuing licenses due to background checks and all the administrative issues regarding the opening up of a satellite pharmacy.â€ť

But Juarez said that he recognized the need for access to pharmaceuticals in Presidio, which is why he pursued the project and persevered, in spite of its complications. At present, the closest physical pharmacy to Presidioâ€”short of crossing over into Mexicoâ€”is in Alpine, an hour and a half drive.

Juarez, whose grandparents Manuel and Rebecca Soza were merchant pioneers who ran a grocery store in Presidio, said that he attributes his own work ethic to his formative years working at the store.

â€śMy greatest and fondest memory is working at the grocery store or being at the farm and working the summers there with my grandfather,â€ť Juarez said. â€śI think thatâ€™s where most of us really got our first training and our work ethics because he was a very hard-working man. We had no choice.â€ť

Juarez went on to study at the pharmacy school at UT Austin, and established his own pharmacy in Fort Stockton nearly 30 years ago. He acquired City Drug in Alpine in December 2010.

Juarez is the second in his family to make pharmacology his business career. His uncle Robert Soza, who also grew up in Presidio and became a pharmacist, established Highland Drug in Alpine, a pharmacy he recently sold after 50 years in business.

Juarez anticipates the telepharmacy will start its operations in September 1 of this year.

â€śI spent a lot of my summers in Presidio so Iâ€™ve always wanted to give back to my community,â€ť he said.

(staff photo by SASHA von OLDERSHAUSEN)Members of ejido â€śEl Paraderoâ€ť gather with Mexican pipeline representatives, sitting against wall, to discuss logistics surrounding the process of constructing a pipeline through their land just outside of Ojinaga.

(staff photo by SASHA von OLDERSHAUSEN)Members of ejido â€śEl Paraderoâ€ť gather with Mexican pipeline representatives, sitting against wall, to discuss logistics surrounding the process of constructing a pipeline through their land just outside of Ojinaga.

By SASHA von OLDERSHAUSEN

OJINAGA, Chihuahua, Mexico – The Trans Pecos Pipeline saga has pegged those who support its economic potential against those who see the pipeline project as a virulent menace to the environmental sanctity of the pristine Big Bend region. And as the fight intensifies over the pipeline that is projected to span from West Texas into Mexico, one crucial voice has not been heard: Mexicoâ€™s.

On July 12, members of the ejido â€śEl Paraderoâ€ť gathered with representatives of Gasoducto de Aguaprieta, the company tasked with overseeing the planning stages of Mexicoâ€™s side of the pipeline, to discuss the details of its construction.

An ejido is a tract of communal land that is used for agriculture, and on which a community of people farm cooperatively or individually. While each member of the ejido, also known as an ejidatario, has certain possessory rights to the parcel of land they farm, they do not technically own it in the conventional sense of the word because it is not private property.

â€śEl Paradero,â€ť which is located on the outskirts of Ojinaga, Mexico, comprises between 4,500 and 5,400 acres, according to Humberto Zubia â€“ a Presidio resident, who is also one of â€śEl Paraderoâ€™sâ€ť 100 ejidatarios. There are no paved roads hereâ€”only a network of dirt paths that crisscross the land, much of which lies fallow.

Zubia said the pipeline company contacted â€śEl Paraderoâ€ť approximately two months ago and expressed its intent to run the pipeline through the ejido. Since that time, the company has conducted two town hall meetings on the ejido, with a third slated for August 2.

â€śRight away, they supported the project,â€ť Zubia said of the ejidotarios. â€śAgriculture has been suffering. Some people are hoping to put the money they receive back into the land.â€ť

Alfalfa and cotton account for much of what is grown at â€śEl Paradero,â€ť but with a struggling agricultural economy, many of the ejidatarios donâ€™t even have enough money to invest in fertilizer for their land.

How much they can expect to receive from the pipeline has not yet been determined.

But at the July meeting, the mood was neutral and calmâ€”a far cry from the recent pipeline-related meetings across the border, which have drawn irate crowds.

Representatives of Gasoducto de Aguaprieta gave their pitch while El Paraderoâ€™s ejidatarios listened: The natural gas pipeline slated to run from Texas to Mexico would provide Mexico with a source of natural gasâ€”a cleaner-burning fossil fuel than oil or coal.

In 2006, the structure of Mexicoâ€™s internal energy supply amounted to 87.45 percent fossil fuels with 52.43 percent of that supplied by oil, 26.24 percent supplied by natural gas and 3.5 percent supplied by coal, according to Laura Randallâ€™s â€śChanging Structure of Mexico: Political, Social and Economic Prospects.â€ť

The natural gas pipeline project also represents the beginnings of Mexicoâ€™s recent massive overhaul of the countryâ€™s energy industry, which under current President Enrique PeĂ±a Nietoâ€™s administration, opened its doors to foreign investment after maintaining total sovereignty of its energy resources for more than 70 years.

Of the 100 ejidatarios that comprise El Paradero, a total of 44â€”those who have rights to live and graze on the landâ€”will benefit financially from the project.

Much of the meeting was devoted to discussing logistics. Representatives from Gasoducto de Aguaprieto documented the names of those beneficiaries, and detailed the process by which these ejidatarios would be required to vote on all decisions related to the pipeline construction at El Paradero.

Zubia said he was aware of the opposition campaign that has emerged in response to the pipeline project, but felt that Texas landowners were using the rhetoric of opposition as leverage for entering in negotiations with the pipeline company.

As far as the ejidoâ€™s own negotiations were concerned, Zubia said they plan to ask the pipeline company to employ residents of Ojinaga and Presidio for construction of the pipeline.

When asked whether he trusts the pipeline company, Zubia said, â€śNowadays there is no such thing as trust.â€ť

He added, â€śBut weâ€™re trying to do everything legally. Weâ€™re trying to proceed in a way that holds them accountable.â€ť